When recovery scores change unexpectedly, people often look only at training, sleep, and stress. But medications can also influence HRV and how your nervous system behaves.
This does not mean medications are bad or should be avoided. Many are necessary and helpful. It simply means they can affect recovery patterns in ways that are useful to understand.
Medications and the Nervous System
HRV reflects the balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the nervous system.
Many medications influence this balance either directly or indirectly by affecting:
Heart rate
Blood pressure
Stress hormone activity
Sleep quality
Inflammation
Because of this, changes in medication can sometimes show up in HRV and recovery scores.
Stimulants and Activating Medications
Some medications increase alertness and nervous system activation.
Examples include certain:
ADHD medications
Decongestants
Some asthma medications
These can increase heart rate and sympathetic activity, which may lead to:
Lower HRV
Higher resting heart rate
Feeling more “wired,” especially later in the day
Timing and dose can influence how much they affect overnight recovery.
Sedating Medications
Some medications promote relaxation or sleep but can alter normal sleep architecture.
Examples include certain:
Sleep aids
Antihistamines
Anti-anxiety medications
Even if they help you fall asleep, they may change sleep stages in ways that influence how restorative sleep is, which can affect HRV.
Cardiovascular Medications
Medications that influence heart rate and blood pressure can directly change the signals HRV is based on.
Examples include:
Beta blockers
Some blood pressure medications
These can alter resting and exercise heart rate and HRV readings. You will need to make sure that your max HR in Morpheus reflects what you are reasonably get your heart rate up to while on this type of medication.
Changes in numbers do not always mean recovery is worse. Sometimes the medication is simply affecting the measurement because of the medication's impact on your internal physiology.
Anti-Inflammatory and Immune-Related Medications
Medications that influence inflammation or immune activity can also affect recovery patterns.
Reducing inflammation can sometimes support recovery and could artificially increase HRV due to actively reducing inflammation. In other cases, immune-modulating drugs may change how your body responds to stress.
The key is recognizing that HRV trends may reflect both your training and the underlying medical context.
What This Means for Interpreting Your Data
If you start, stop, or change a medication and notice shifts in HRV or recovery scores, it does not automatically mean your fitness or habits have changed.
Instead:
Look at trends over time
Consider whether the change coincides with medication adjustments
Focus on how you feel and perform, not just one metric
HRV is a useful signal, but it exists within the context of your overall health and any treatments you are using.
The Big Takeaway
Medications can influence HRV and recovery because they affect the nervous system, heart rate, sleep, and inflammation.
Understanding this helps you interpret recovery data more accurately and avoid misattributing changes solely to training or lifestyle.
If you have questions about how a specific medication affects your health, those should always be discussed with a qualified healthcare professional.